This book lover has a library card to all the libraries in southern California now (well, almost all the libraries). All five children and I walked to the library this afternoon to get a library card and to check out books. Among those checked out are two about California. The first one is called The California Coast: A Literary Field Guide. This one is full of poems, nature and historical stories, and biographical sketches. All show some connection to California's coast. The second one is called A Mission for the People: The Story of La Purisima. That one is about the first missions in Santa Barbara and is beautifully illustrated. Diese Bücherfreundin hat jetzt eine Büchereikarte zu (fast) allen kalifornischen Büchereien des Südens, Alle fünf Kinder und ich sind heute nachmittag zu Fuß zur Bücherei gegangen, um einen Ausweis zu beantragen. Das ging ganz schnell und natürlich haben wir uns Bücher ausgeliehen. Zwei der Bücher sind kalifornische Bücher. Das eine ist voll mit Gedichten, historischen und naturkindlichen Geschichten, aber auch biographischen Episoden. Das andere beschreibt die erste Mission in Santa Barbara, die La Purisima hieß.
But maybe you don't care about books and want to see more pictures. Here you go.
Aber vielleicht wollen meine Leser nichts über Bücher hören und lieber noch ein paar Fotos sehen. Bitte schön:
Oranges!
Orangen!
Walking back from the library
Auf dem Rückweg von der Bücherei
Cacti!
Kakteen!
Our house
Unser Haus
Our kitchen and dining-area: I love the space and the bright light. I have never had a kitchen as large as this one.
Unsere Küche und Eßecke: Ich freue mich über den vielen Platz und das viele Licht in der Küche. Ich habe noch nie so eine große Küche gehabt.
Totally in love with your area and that kitchen is fab!
ReplyDeleteYay for libraries!!
San xx
Yes, so much space to move around, feels very liberating. What would homeschoolers do without libraries, right?
DeleteIt always amazes me to see the combination of mountains and palm trees! Do you find your neighborhood very walkable? I agree, I wouldn't want to drive in the big city either. Or how is public transportation?
ReplyDeleteYour house does look bright and lovely! Enjoy.
I think I would find it hard to focus on lessons if it still felt like vacation! A lesson question-- do you tend to spend a certain amount of time per child per day?And your books sound interesting!!!
Take care,
Barbara
Yes, it is hard to believe to have both in the same place. You can walk here to to he post office and a few stores. It is safe, but depending on where you want to go, there a lots of cars! Too many for my taste. No, the public transportation out here is really bad. A few buses, but what takes 20 minutes by car, takes 2 hours by bus! Not very convenient.
DeleteThe house is very nice and we are so glad to have a small yard.
I do try to have a certain amount of time for each child, especially for the younger ones. The older ones get more time from n the evening.
It's always my favorite place to go when I reach a new town: the library! Your books are really nice . . and I lived in Santa Barbara for two years :) The mission is beautiful. Greg was up in Monterey. We did meet in CA. Santa Barbara and Monterey . . two very beautiful, romantic and magical places to fall in love :)
ReplyDeleteThat kitchen is beautiful! The countertop looks like marble. It also looks very clean! I hope it was clean for you and you didn't have to do a thing . . I wish you many delicious family meals and cooking times together there!
Yes, we are supposedly in for a very big winter storm . . we'll see if the predictions are true. It started softly snowing for a little while this morning but has now stopped. Everyone is quite nervous about it . . I don't know why. It's not like NYC never gets big blizzards!!! Meanwhile you have the warm Santa Anas blowing and oranges to pick in your neighborhood! Isn't that amazing! Hmm. I've forgotten how much I love California :)
That is quite a distance. How did you arrange meetings? By car?
DeleteYes, they are marble. All appliances are new, i.e., less than a year old. Except the washing-machine in the garage. That is not good at all. It was very clean when we moved in. There was just one medicine cabinet Peter had to clean when he moved in.
I think you need to go back to California :). But then you might miss the East.
I do like the East . . and the different seasons. Yes, Greg and I drove a lot!
DeleteIt's funny that the house is so new and clean but the washing machine is so old! That's a little frustrating. Is there a laundromat nearby in case you need it?
Good that gas used to be so cheap :). I guess the owners don't care about washing machines. The owner has promised to send a plumber out soon to clean out the drain. You need a motorized snake to do so.
DeleteWonderful selections! I used the field guide when we had our California history year. Let me know if you'd like my reading list. The group ranged from 3rd - 6th graders. We had a great time visiting missions that year!
ReplyDeleteI would love, love, love your list, Jenny. Most of the books here in our local branch are so-so. I think I will have to get many through inter-library loan. I have used it a lot already and is is quite efficient. Will you please e-mail me your list?
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